Alex Rodriguez belted two home runs and drove in four more runs. But tonight was about Mike Mussina, who I describe in tomorrow’s story as the cranky old uncle of the pitching staff.

Mussina is 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last four starts and hasn’t issued a walk in 22 consecutive innings. His return to form is crucial for the Yankees over the next seven weeks. The 7.2 innings tonight were his longest start of the season.

Mussina also made some history, becoming the ninth player in history to win 100 games with two teams. He, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux are the only active players to do it.

Mussina and Andy Pettitte are the only Yankees to win 100 games for Joe Torre.

â€œItâ€™s pretty cool I guess,â€? said Mussina, who grabbed a few balls as souvenirs. â€œI probably wonâ€™t make it to 200, so I better savor 100. But I hope I win a few more here before I decide to stop.â€?

The Yankees really don’t have a weak link in their rotation right now. They are pounding the ball offensively but it’s the pitching that will determine whether they make the playoffs.

Here is Moose’s postgame interview. I uploaded a long clip because he’s so interesting to listen to. He really breaks down the game well:

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